A Place for Every Generation

By Beth Milograno Berry, Jewish Community Alliance

L’dor v’dor is known as the transmission of our Jewish culture, values, rituals, traditions and history from one generation to the next. With the literal meaning of the Hebrew phrase being, “from generation to generation,” l’dor v’dor is what our founders planned for the Jewish Community Alliance and what our community now embodies for families throughout Northeast Florida.

“After moving to Jacksonville in 1974, the fi rst thing we noticed was there was no Jewish Community Center. It was a surprise that a city the size of Jacksonville with a large, diverse Jewish community, didn’t have a common meeting ground. Our daughters were growing up without the experience of meeting children from all the synagogues,” explains our charter member Philip Adler who with his wife Karen, and hundreds of our founding members, embraced a vision to create a place for every generation in our community.

“We worked to investigate what we wanted the JCA to be and envisioned a facility that would not only bring our Jewish community together but one that would benefi t the entire greater Jacksonville area,” says Karen Adler. “I longed for a community like this for my family. We wanted a place that would have something for everyone, be all-inclusive, and exemplify the diversity in our community.”

With a mission to contribute to the continuation of Jewish life by providing a common meeting ground in the tradition of our heritage, our founding members left a legacy for future generations to learn, prosper and grow.

Today, our JCA is the community gathering place for people of all walks of life in every generation throughout Jacksonville. Through our Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool & Kindergarten, variety of youth programs, enrichment classes, our free cultural art events, as well as a wide array of Jewish programming, celebrations, and educational opportunities, our JCA embodies Jewish values and traditions, while helping shape the future of our great community.

The success of our founders’ vision is evident throughout our entire campus, but perhaps the best testaments are the now second and third-generation founding members who continue to inspire, support and enrich our environment of fun, harmony and friendship.

From generation to generation for more than 30 years, we are proud to share all we do at the JCA to provide a better future for families throughout Northeast Florida.

From generation to generation for more than 30 years, we are proud to share all we do at the JCA to provide a better future for families throughout Northeast Florida. As our mission continues, the generosity of our annual donors and sponsors allows us to continue our founders’ vision and respond to the needs of every generation through scholarships and fi nancial assistance, and by providing an array of recreational, educational, social and cultural opportunities to families throughout the greater Jacksonville community.

For more information about the JCA please contact Ben Marcus at (���) �3�-2��� ext. 3�� or via email at ben.marcus@jcajax.org. 28